Product Description

User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
rajiv murthy
a Audio Enthusiast

Date Reviewed: May 29, 2007

Bottom Line:

Its funny how closely my experience with odyssey aligns with the previous poster!
I too read about odyssey on AC, and decided to call klaus up to find out more about the product. And like many others, i ended up placing an order for a pair of tricked out khartago monos and candela. This was right after RMAF, and klaus was -buried- with orders. And to top it, there were some supply issues with plitron transformers. So i had to wait for a couple of months before receiving the amplifiers. I hooked it up with SB3 and listened to them through my GR Research AV/3. At first it sounded great, and then there were a loud hum from one of the channels. I send the amp back for repair. Turn around was quick, and by then I had received the candela as well. Now armed with the whole enchilada, i sat down for some listening. First thing i noticed when i fired the setup was how dynamic it sounded! I am not too good at audiophile terms, but suffice to say that i was over the moon with the setup. None of my previous amps could compare to what i had now. I've owned several amps prior incld NAD, plinius, Pass Labs etc. The synergy that I could hear with this setup is unreal.
All those who are looking for a great system -should- listen to odyssey. I cannot think of a company that offers better value for money! Now, in some audiophile circles the term "value" might be a negative thing ... but i don't think odyssey is geared towards such a crowd. Its for people who value their investment, and truly love music as opposed to just swapping gear.

Its funny how closely my experience with odyssey aligns with the previous poster!
I too read about odyssey on AC, and decided to call klaus up to find out more about the product. And like many others, i ended up placing an order for a pair of tricked out khartago monos and candela. This was right after RMAF, and klaus was -buried- with orders. And to top it, there were some supply issues with plitron transformers. So i had to wait for a couple of months before receiving the amplifiers. I hooked it up with SB3 and listened to them through my GR Research AV/3. At first it sounded great, and then there were a loud hum from one of the channels. I send the amp back for repair. Turn around was quick, and by then I had received the candela as well. Now armed with the whole enchilada, i sat down for some listening. First thing i noticed when i fired the setup was how dynamic it sounded! I am not too good at audiophile terms, but suffice to say that i was over the moon with the setup. None of my previous amps could compare to what i had now. I've owned several amps prior incld NAD, plinius, Pass Labs etc. The synergy that I could hear with this setup is unreal.
All those who are looking for a great system -should- listen to odyssey. I cannot think of a company that offers better value for money! Now, in some audiophile circles the term "value" might be a negative thing ... but i don't think odyssey is geared towards such a crowd. Its for people who value their investment, and truly love music as opposed to just swapping gear.

A long overdue review – or – My first experience with Klaus and Odyssey Audio.

A few months ago I found myself looking for some new audio gear to pair with some speakers that were on the way. I had decided that I was in the market for a tube preamp and solid-state amps. I enjoy the tube sound but I was looking to bring back the punch that SS provides. I posted looking for some recommendations and a few folks chimed in with a few suggestions and Odyssey was one. After spending some time lurking on AC, doing lots of research (mostly on the international sites), and hearing story after story of Klaus’ level of customer service, I decided to give Klaus a call. The short version is - we had a great chat that ended up with me placing an order for a new Candela and a pair of upgraded Stratos Monoblocks in Khartago cases. I knew up front that there would be a wait as this was just after RMAF, which left Klaus buried in new orders…

Fast forward a couple of months to the day that the Mono’s arrived. BIG and HEAVY are a couple of words that come to mind. I had some real second thoughts (while waiting) about going with the “lesser” Khartago case as opposed to the Stratos from an aesthetic standpoint. I can now safely say that I am 100% satisfied with the appearance of these amps. They look great, and are very robust and well made with a very uniform brushed black aluminum finish.

As my Candela was still weeks away and I was currently using an integrated with no preamp outs, I ended up going with a SB3 direct for my initial setup. This is a bit of a departure from my usual rig, which was interesting. As a frame of reference my current 2-channel rig t the time consisted of:
Onix SP3 tube integrated
Perpetual Technologies P1A/P3A(w/MW level II mods) and Monolithic P3B PS
Onix Strata Mini Speakers
Onix XCD-88 CDP

After setting everything up, it was finally time to flip the switch. Well – they worked! No explosions and no immediate issues. I have to admit that my initial reaction was not all that I had hoped. Everything sounded pretty flat and lifeless but as my own research and my conversations with Klaus had confirmed, these are amps that need some break-in time. I also discovered a slight buzz in the left channel amp that defied all of our efforts to trouble-shoot. The right channel was dead quiet but I just wasn’t satisfied with the left. Klaus suggested that it come back to him so I sent it back. Klaus basically rebuilt it and returned what amounted to a new amp. No problems, no hassles, just excellent service and a fairly quick turnaround given what Klaus has on his plate. These are heavy amps and who knows what UPS had done to it…

I hooked it up immediately on arrival and it was absolutely perfect. If anything it was even more amazingly quiet than the first one. These are powerful amps and when you can ramp them up and still have a noise floor as low as these amps, it’s really pretty amazing.

Oh, and did I mention that my Candela arrived at the same time? It was perfect timing and allowed me to set everything up with the new gear I had purchased just for this system. The new rig consists of:
Candela Preamp with dual-outs and silver knobs
Khartago/Stratos Mono’s
Onix XCD-99 CDP
Lite DAC-60 and/or P1A/P3A/P3B
Onix Strata Mini’s

So setup is complete, initial tests are done, everything works and now it’s time to break everything in. While I didn’t want to deprive myself of listening pleasure, I also wanted to see if it was the equipment breaking in or my ears. If you don’t believe in break-in then stop reading now because what I heard over the next 2 weeks was nothing short of magical. I would leave the system on all day while I was at work and turn it down or off when I got home. It took about 3 weeks before I did any real listening and WOW, this is a really amazing system. I was a little concerned when I first heard them but now I don’t think you could take them away from me!

Everything just sounds amazing – the depth and separation/placement of instruments is unreal and the SS “punch” that I wanted is right there. The Candela sound fantastic! I was a bit worrind about using a tube DAC in conjunction with a tube pre but after spending some time doing a few A/B’s, I love the sound. Very smooth but not at all “muddy” or “smeary”. The noise floor with the Candela/Khartago combo is so low as to be inaudible, even with the source paused and the volume on the Candela maxed. All I can say is that this is one clear circuit path with some quality components. The DAC-60 adds some tube hiss at ultra high levels but that disappears with the P3A in the chain. I am planning on modding the DAC-60 anyway so that may help a bit.

After having spoken with Klaus and Alex on multiple occasions and seeing and hearing the quality of the Odyssey products for myself, I can wholeheartedly recommend the company and it’s products. If you find yourself sitting on the fence – GET OFF!!! The longer you wait, the longer you will have to go without. Call Klaus and just get it over with – you won’t be disappointed…

had heard about Odyssey for a while before I ventured into really checking out what Odyssey is about. That point was about 2 months ago. I had looked around the circle and Klaus's Site and while everyone can agree it isint the most comprehensive, things like the reviews, specs, prices and service kept my attention. At the time I had not seriously planned to purchase a new amplifier, and mono blocks did not even cross my mind. I was perfectly happy with the NAD C-370 I was using as a poweramp for nearly 5 years. Its not that there were things I found that I could fault it with, But I just thought there must be more.

Well two words. There is. Its been nearly 2 months since I first spoke with Klaus, and just about a month since I recieved my order. Khartago Mono's with cap and wiring upgrade. When I had originally talked with Klaus, (who if you dont know by now is the driving force behind odyssey and one of the most honest and respectful people I have come across) I had thought I wanted the Stratos stereo extreme, From the online user reviews of this amp I didnt see there is anyway I could go wrong. And im quite sure I wouldnt have, But Klaus convinced me that the Khartago mono's would be even better than the Stereo Stratos. Going from a stereo amp to mono amps "opens up the flood gates" as he put it.

Well fast forward a few weeks and two generous sized white Boxes arrived. When I got my first glimpse of these in person I was a bit surprised at how wide, and deep they are. Hardly a small amplifier by my standards. A hefty faceplate finishes off a very well thought out and crafted chassis, complete with custom nametags, and very nice RCA and Binding posts. Me being into all things electronic, I decided have a look under the bonnet as they say, The inside is just as well thought out, So far I had been nothing but impressed.

So far your probably thinking this is just another one of those reviews that go on and on about how everything is so great. Its not. I have had these almost a month and I can honestly say that its not just the new toy excitement. Or is that the "excitement guarantee" BOSE has.... Everything that I had expected to get from these has been fulfilled along with so much more I didnt expect. The speakers these are driving are Axiom M80's, A 4 ohm 6 driver speaker, They are efficient however do seem to like more that just sipping on the juice. Expecially when Im at the controls. Driving the Khartago's is a Bottlehead Foreplay tube preamp, with a few mods. And finally a Rega Planet 2000 for the source.

Upon first hearing them a few things came to mind, Rather than go into detail about nonsense about hearing more air on track X on Album Y lets just say that pretty much every aspect of the sound had been improved upon over my NAD amplfiier. So far they have been turned on continuously since I got them so I expect they have been pretty well broken in. Regardless of if you believe in such a concept or not, Im just going to base the listening tests on what I have heard most recently... Tonight... Right now.... The one most impressive thing about these that I have come to respect is the sheer power. Everything in the bottom end is simply more solid and defined. Alot more heft and authority. The Opening to Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly" was something to behold in itself. I actually replayed the first couple seconds a few times over just to hear what I had been missing. I listen to all types of music. Nearly every genre is represented in my collection. One of my most demanding cd's is the soundtrack to the original pirates of the carribean movie. I have said it before, but this cd really seems to show off the strengths of the Khartago's. There is a constant rumble and Drive in the low end that has never sounded so clean to me. The Crescendo's never seem to sound anything other than effortless. Something else that showcased where the NAD was lacking. The nad isint a slouch of an amplifier at all, Its very highly rated and have gobs of power but it has been a no contest to see who the winner is between the two.

I previously didnt think that the NAD was really running out of steam, But Now I have come to realize where it was because of how different some things sound with the Odyssey's. The entire spectrum has been changed considerably. Everything is more focused and in place. Everything seems to have its own space and ease to it that I had never experienced. There isint enough time in a day to try and describe the outstanding difference there is. I dont have alot of high end amps to compare these to, As im not a person who is constantly trying new and different gear. My last amp served me well for 5 years, I think these will last quite a bit longer than that. When I originally hooked them up, My first impression was the difference was like cleaning the lens on a camera, along with bringing it into focus. Hardly an exxageration of what I have experienced. I highly reccomend that if your looking for a new amplifier that you give Klaus a call and check out his products.

Now for the bad... This shouldnt take long Wink.. The Blue LED's on the front can be a bit bright for at night when you want complete darkness. One thing I have noticed is that most blue LED's are of the super bright variety. As in. Too bright. There are some blue diffused one ive seen and used in the past. Perhaps these would be a good option since they arent as bright. On the Bright side though, They are a really nice shade of blue. Very Happy so they really arent a downside but I think some other people would be bothered by it.

I leave mine turned on all the time, And also plugged directly into the wall, via a DIY "audiophile grade" power strip no doubt. Going from having them plugged into my power conditioner to directly into the wall I noticed a wider soundstage... Wishful thinking perhaps though. The Khartago does get warm so you cant stack them like you can the stratos. But the smaller case is kind of nice I think. After all the upgrades I have gone though since I got started into audio, getting the Khartago's has been the biggest improvement I have experienced, With the exception of upgrading speakers. And even then, They are a very close second to speakers. The improvements were not in the least bit subtle. These are truly a high end, and high value product. Klaus is a great guy to deal with who really stands behind what he sells, The best way to decide if these are for you is just to give him a call. The level of service you get from Odyssey is definetly class A, From custom biasing, 20 year warranty, custom nameplates and the fact your not just another sale. I surely havent said anything here that hasnt been said already but you can just chalk me up under the Odyssey family for life list Very Happy